Attention Span
by SirCarter
Summary: <html><head></head>Everybody always says that Jade left Cat behind. But what if that wasn't the case? -Cade-</html>
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Victorious. What a shame. **

Cat was fourteen when she got accepted into Hollywood Arts. She had been on her way to orientation at the local 'regular' high school when she noticed a colorful advertisement for auditions to a performing arts school. She decided auditioning sounded more entertaining than orientation and found her way to the imaginative school and into the auditorium. She skipped on stage and half an hour later, she was a new student at Hollywood Arts. Her parents had been all too willing to sign the papers; they hoped she would burn all her energy performing at school and be quieter at home.

One morning, about three or four weeks into classes, Cat was chatting animatedly to Andre and Robbie when she noticed a peculiar looking girl standing in the foyer. She was exceptionally pale, as accented by her deep black clothing, with metal shining in her nose and glinting off her scowling eyebrow as she scrutinized a yellow piece of paper. As Cat watched, the girl turned toward a bank of lockers and located one of the plain doors. Cat turned back to the conversation while the girl spun the dial.

When the unusual bell rang through the school a couple minutes later, the three friends parted ways with quick goodbyes, the boys going right past the vending machines and Cat bouncing toward the stairs. Before she reached the steps, Cat heard a loud bang followed by an aggravated grunt. She veered off her path toward the disturbance and saw the murky girl from earlier. The girl was in front of the same locker, still closed, and was rearing back to strike the door again. Cat bounced to her side as the girl crashed her knuckles to the metal a second time.

"Why are you hurting your locker?" Cat asked candidly, with eyes wide and innocent. The violent girl's gaze was still latched on the offending cabinet as she spat venomously, "It won't _fucking_ open! That's why!" Cat cringed back at the harsh words and spun away tearfully with a hurt "You're so mean!" flung over her shoulder as a third resounding crash echoed after her.

By the time Cat skipped into her third period class she had already forgotten the tone of the morning's exchange, so when she spotted the new girl sitting in back of the room she didn't hesitate in zipping to her side. Cat cheerfully poked the girl's combat boots off the neighboring chair and sat down, asking happily, "HI! Is black your favorite color?"

The girl stared at her incredulously without replying, but Cat just began talking about the best attributes of each color and why they would make a great potential favorite. As the teacher strode into the room, Cat interrupted her own rambling about aqua blue to ask the girl for her name. She answered, "Jade West. Who the hell are you?" Frowning, Cat affirmed her identity before stating, "I don't like dirty words."

Jade just tilted her head and gazed at Cat curiously before stating, "Okay." Cat didn't have a chance to reply because the teacher, Mr. Florentine, called the class to order.

**A/N: This is just a quick establishment of the nature of Cat and Jade, and to get their meeting out of the way. The following chapters may or may not be from Jade's POV because I like writing in POV format…and Cat's brain gives me a headache ;). **


	2. Chapter 2

_Who the hell does this chick think she is?_ Jade wondered. _Normal people don't just go up to random strangers and start talking about colors. Violence also has a habit of keeping people from initiating contact. Apparently, she didn't get the memo. Whatever, at least she's not staring at me anymore. _Cat's eyes freaked Jade out a little. They were just a little too warm and innocent to be any shade of normal.

The teacher, Mr. Florentine, called the class to order and announced, "Before we begin our lesson today, we have a new student! Ms. West, why don't you stand up and tell the class a little bit about yourself?"

Cat clapped excitedly as Jade froze in her seat. Florentine was smiling at her expectantly as the rest of the class turned around in their chairs, curious about the fresh face. Jade rose to her feet fluidly as she flicked an eyebrow up questioningly at Cat, who had just sucked in a quick breath and was practically bouncing in her seat with anticipation. "I'm Jade West," Jade began. "I moved to LA over the summer. I sing, act, direct, and write plays." Florentine nodded, as if encouraging her to expound on her statements, but Jade was finished. _That was stupid_, Jade thought, but before she could reclaim her seat, Cat burst into applause. Jade stared at the bizarre teenager, concerned that she was having some kind of episode, before she realized that the applause was for her. She tried to retain her scowl but the vision of Cat, beaming and applauding as if she'd just announced the cure for cancer, was too much. Jade couldn't help but chuckle softly to herself and toss Cat a small smile in return.

The rest of the period passed without much incident except for the occasional expressions of amusement and disbelief playing tag with Jade's usual deadpanned appearance. It was impossible for Jade not to be charmed by Cat's sometimes naïve, sometimes random, comments and questions. The elfin girl was just too endearing.

Jade had completely lost track of time when the bell rang, startling her out of her quiet ponderings over Cat's latest question about why witches always have toads instead of frogs, and the difference between the two. The class began to file out of the room while Jade tossed her unused notebook back into her bag and bent to retie her boots. Cat sprang from her seat and skipped over to the teacher's desk. Jade had just finished knotting her laces when she felt a hand cover her shoulder and a warm body brush her side. She instinctively leapt to her feet and spun away from the contact, her face screwed up angrily and her mouth wrenched open to launch a verbal attack on the offender.

"So Jade, do you want to have lunch with my friends and me?" Cat asked cheerfully, apparently oblivious to the tense and enraged pose that the taller girl had adopted. Jade blinked and snapped her mouth shut as she realized that the invasion of personal space had come from Cat. For reasons unknown to even her, she wasn't willing to verbally assault the redhead. Jade had happily planned to spend the lunch break alone with a book but Cat was watching her so expectantly that she had no choice but to bark out, "Fine."

Cat squealed, actually squealed, and shouted "Yay! See you then!" Jade watched her prance out of the classroom and remained standing in between the desks. _This school is not normal. And neither is that Valentine girl,_ she mused. _I wonder how insane her friends are going to be._

Jade shook herself out of her thoughts and plucked her schedule out of her bag as she exited into the hall. An afro haired kid with glasses was walking her way, and he was carrying a dark haired wooden puppet. _What the hell?_ Jade sneered at him when he smiled at her, so he just ducked his head and continued down the hall. Jade glanced quickly at her schedule again before calling out, "Hey! Puppet boy! Where's room number 39?" The boy turned in surprise and the wooden dummy yelled back, "Hey pretty lady! Who are you calling a puppet?" Jade raised her eyebrows and replied with a mocking, "You, you little doll." She turned to the boy and repeated, "Where's room number 39?"

The fuzzy headed kid responded with an indignant "Rex isn't a doll!" He paused briefly, as if debating with himself, before continuing grudgingly, "And room 39 is down the hall to the left." Rex jumped in at that, exclaiming, "Why would you tell her that, man?" Jade rolled her eyes and sauntered off to her next class, leaving the geeky boy to argue with his puppet.

When lunch rolled around, Jade strode out to the Asphalt Café, eyes scanning the tables for the bright red head of Cat Valentine. She spotted her at a table just underneath the outdoor balcony and began weaving her way through the throng of artistic students lined up by the lunch truck. As Jade got closer to the table, she stopped short. _Well crap. Why am I not surprised? _The dorky boy from earlier was sitting across from Cat, his obnoxious puppet stationed on the table next to him. The boy looked up and noticed her watching him. His eyes widened and he dipped his head down again quickly, as if he was trying to pretend she wasn't there. Cat turned around to see what he had reacted to and burst into a huge smile as she trilled, "Jade! Yay! Come sit down!"

Jade laughed to herself as the boy's head snapped up in horror. She took the last few steps to the table and slumped into the seat next to Cat. "Hey Cat, what's up?" she asked. Cat giggled and proceeded to chatter about how leopards and panthers were really the same animal and wasn't that weird? Jade ignored the ventriloquist and the other, cooler looking, boy at the table, and listened half-heartedly to Cat, utterly amused with the excitable girl. The boy with the hanging dreadlocks commented on something Cat had said, and the redhead turned her attention to him.

Jade found herself watching Cat's lips as she talked to the muscular boy, enraptured in the way they curved smoothly around her words and eased so fluidly through her various reactions to the conversation. Jade felt the hard line of her mouth soften when Cat smiled and the corners of her mouth twitched when she giggled. Jade lifted her eyes from Cat's lips to her small nose. _She has such a cute little nose, _Jade observed silently. Startled by her own use of the word cute, she frowned and let her eyes continue up Cat's profile to the eyes that freaked her out that morning in class. This time, however, Jade found herself fascinated by Cat's bright orbs. She wondered how someone could project such innocence and affection from their eyes alone. The warm coffee colored globes were framed by soft, dark lashes. Jade suddenly wished that she had a blanket made out of Cat's eyelashes.

The absurd thought made Jade chortle to herself, but apparently the noise had escaped the confines of her mind. Suddenly Jade was looking into Cat's eyes head on, lit up by curiosity and happiness. Jade swiped her gaze to the table, feeling her cheeks burning underneath all her pale make up.

Cat was grinning goofily when she announced, "I love your laugh! You should laugh more often!" The heat in Jade's face spread to her neck and, secretly, she was pleased that she got Cat to wear such a silly smile. Nevertheless, Jade prepared to give Cat a biting remark in return. "Look-"

"Jade this is Andre!" Cat cut her off as she gestured to the calm and smiling boy across from Jade. Jade nodded curtly to him and he gave her a little wave. "And this is Robbie and Rex!" she finished with a flourish towards the duo on Jade's other side. The awkward kid, Robbie, grumbled, "We've already met." "Yeah, she insulted me! She's a gank! Hot, but a gank!" the puppet spilled, obviously affronted by her presence in their group. Jade glowered menacingly at them both and then backhanded Rex off the table, sending him flying across the Café. Robbie yelled incoherently as he hurriedly scooped up his backpack and, vainly attempting to pierce Jade with eye daggers, he ran off to retrieve his small companion.

Jade smirked at the dramatic exit, obviously pleased with the reaction she had gotten out of the kid. Sensing someone watching her, Jade turned back to the other two occupants of the table. Andre was looking at her with an expression that seemed partly wary, partly amused, and partly calculating, as if trying to figure her out. Unsettled by the complicated glance, Jade flicked her eyes apprehensively to Cat, suddenly worried that her actions towards Robbie had offended her.

Cat was staring at her openly, confusion painted across the features Jade had been admiring only a few minutes before. Jade stared back blankly. The staring contest continued for a good five minutes, with neither girl looking away nor changing expression. Andre shifted awkwardly in his seat for the first couple minutes before slipping away with a mumbled "See ya." Jade barely noticed his departure and focused on dissecting the emotions in Cat's eyes. The confusion that controlled her face ebbed quickly away and Jade wasn't quite sure what had replaced it.

Finally, Cat burst into loud and rambunctious laughter that Jade could not resist joining in with, albeit at a much more subdued volume. When Cat returned her gaze to the dark girl, Jade just shrugged and waggled her eyebrows. This set Cat off again as the bell rang, and Jade rose to her feet slowly, wishing she could listen to Cat's richly toned laughter for just a little bit longer. Cat quieted down enough to say, "I like you, Jade! We should hang out more!" The girl hopped to her feet and grabbed Jade's hand with her own, squeezing it gently before skipping away. Jade watched her go before looking down at her hand in contemplation. _I think you're right, Cat._


	3. Chapter 3

The following weeks found Jade settling in to the swing of things at Hollywood Arts. She adjusted, if somewhat reluctantly, to the abnormal classes, zany teachers, and joyful atmosphere. That last item sometimes made her want to destroy something, but she just covered her locker in scissors so she would be prepared whenever the need happened to arise. And if she wasn't in range of a pair of her sharp comrades, there was always Robbie and Rex to play with.

Her blossoming friendship with Cat had done nothing to brighten her opinion or actions toward the self-conscious boy, and she frequently dismembered the dummy, or targeted the puppeteer himself. On the other hand, Jade was beginning to become legitimate friends with the other member of the group, Andre. She respected his talent and even admitted to Cat that he was a pretty laid back guy. Even so, Jade knew that the only reason she had gotten to know him at all was because he actively hung out with Cat.

Cat. The playful girl had infiltrated Jade's mind at an alarming rate. True to her word, she had consistently asked Jade to spend lunch at her table until Jade became a permanent member of the group. Robbie had tried his hardest to keep her away, but since Cat wouldn't be deterred and Andre didn't have any real objections, he was forced to tolerate the gothic girl. Jade, for her part, made sure that she always sat next to Cat in their third period class and even endured her fast paced prattle in the mornings with a minimal amount of snark.

Jade knew that the fondness she was developing for the chatterbox was dangerous to both her growing reputation as a creepy psychopath and her emotional stability, but it was beyond her capabilities to resist the redhead. That was why, on this particular morning, Jade could be found leaning against her locker watching Cat play with a rubber band while Robbie and Andre talked about their interesting acting teacher.

"I'm telling you," Andre was saying, "the man's a genius!" Jade nodded her agreement without looking away from Cat, who was grinning happily at the band that was now stretched between her wrists. "I'm not debating his brilliance; I'm just saying that Sikowitz is a bit insane!" Robbie argued back. Cat gasped and jumped into the conversation saying, "One time, this old lady on the bus called my brother insane. So he bit her hand." The group stared at her for a minute before Jade burst exasperatedly, "Well, what did she do?" Cat giggled to herself and replied, "I don't remember. Hey, how do you think monkeys learned to peel bananas?"

Jade, Andre, and Robbie stared at her in tired acceptance of her bizarre mind, but Rex commented, "You have the attention span of a squirrel." Cat smiled and announced loudly, "I love squirrels! They're so cute!" Jade shook her head, torn between amusement and concern, and Andre opened his mouth to comment. Rex, however, wasn't finished. "Is the red dye covering up the real blonde?" he asked snidely. Hurt and shock flashed across Cat's face as she comprehended what Rex was implying. "What's that supposed to mean?" she shouted indignantly.

Jade moved into action then. She ripped a pair of scissors off her locker, snatched Rex away from Robbie, and haphazardly cut Rex's hair off before stalking across the hall and hurling him into a trashcan. Robbie screamed and shoved Jade roughly out of the way, digging through the garbage to retrieve the puppet. He clutched the doll to his chest and sprinted down the hall after shouting, "EVIL!" in Jade's face. She just smirked happily and sauntered back to Cat and Andre.

Cat was smiling shyly at her and giggled as she poked Jade in the stomach. Andre seemed indifferent to the entire event and told them, "I have to get to class. See you at lunch." Jade watched him go and turned her attention to the small girl in front of her, who had picked a piece of Rex's hair off the floor and was sniffing it experimentally. Jade rolled her eyes and inquired impulsively, "Why are you okay with me treating Robbie like a squashed bug?"

Cat tilted her head and thought for a second before answering. "You and Robbie are both rude to each other," she began, as if stating the obvious. "You're only really nasty to Rex."

Jade grunted in frustration and sighed, "Okay..." Cat smiled and continued quickly, "Rex is always really mean to me. You protect me from him!" Jade blinked at the girl in astonishment, unable to form a response to Cat's acute observation. Beaming, Cat plucked the scissors from Jade's now slack grip and opened the dark locker to place them inside. Jade barely had time to wonder when Cat figured out her locker combo before the redhead wrapped her arms around her in a warm hug.

Acting on pure instinct, Jade pulled her in even tighter and inhaled Cat's sweet scent._ Licorice_, she thought disconnectedly, before smiling softly into her bright hair when the smaller girl nuzzled her neck. Abruptly, Cat slipped out of her grasp and hopped back half a step, eyes on her feet. Jade frowned in surprise and let her arms drop to her sides loosely, stammering awkwardly, "Ah...um…we should head to class…" Cat looked up at her curiously, locking Jade in place with the force of her gaze.

The impish girl seemed to be struggling to figure the taller girl out, and Jade had no intention of letting her find out about her fast-growing affection. Thankfully, Cat got distracted almost immediately. "What a fuzzy bunny!" she exclaimed, eyes drawn to a boy behind Jade who was indeed carrying a very furry rabbit in a cage. Jade closed her eyes in relief as Cat danced past her to the boy, and struck up a conversation about some play the kid was in.

Glancing over her shoulder quickly to confirm that Cat was occupied, Jade strode hurriedly down the hall, attempting to get as far away from the redhead as she could. _What the hell is wrong with me?_ she thought furiously. _I am Jade WEST! I do NOT let perky little redheads touch me, no matter how sweet and adorable…NO! Get a grip, West! You do NOT have a thing for Cat! _The mental berating she gave herself did nothing to ease Jade's mind, however, so it wasn't long before her hands began to tremble.

Clenching them into fists automatically, Jade skidded to a halt and attacked an older looking bank of lockers with such ferocity, she was surprised that her knuckles didn't rip right through the aluminum. Every hit against the cold metal was an assault against the invasive thoughts of Cat Valentine. Every shudder of pain that threaded through her hands was punishment for letting her mind roam free. Every clang that rang through the abandoned hall was proof that Jade West, gothic rebel, was back in charge.

Jade wore herself out quickly and, breathing heavily, she slumped against the lockers in satisfaction. The violent release of pent up aggression always relaxed her better than any yoga or meditation ever could. Jade had just begun to slide down the lockers when she heard loud, angry voices coming from around the corner.

Realizing how much racket her outburst must have made, Jade spun wildly in search of an escape, certain that beating up lockers was looked down upon by school administration. Glimpsing an unmarked door across the hall, Jade dashed through it and hurled herself up the stairs she encountered behind it. At the top, she found herself in front of a large slab of steel. Finding the handle quickly in the dark, the tense girl picked the lock with expert speed and burst through it.

A slow smile spread across Jade's face as she realized where she was. At some point during her mad dash away from Cat, Jade must have gone up to the second floor and now, thanks to her aversion to authority, she had ended up on the roof of the school. Sinking to the ground against an air vent, Jade thought smugly, _Finally, some space to think…_

**A/N: Updates will be coming a bit slower now because of that silly little thing called school. Final exams approaching=very busy students. However, reviews may tip the scales from studying to FF…just sayin' ;)**

**If you got this far, I must be doing something right, so tell me what you want to see more of, tell me what you think would improve the story [don't worry, lip-locking is coming] or if there's something you can't stand, tell me to knock it off! Whatever floats your boat. **


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